Article of furniture with functional textual symbols

ABSTRACT

Presented herein is an article of furniture, wherein said article of furniture functionally integrates the shapes of at least two characters, and an upper portion of at least one character is adapted to accommodate at least one part of a human body, and a lower portion of at least one character is adapted to engage a supporting surface on which said article of furniture is located.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to articles of furniture, and more specifically to seating furniture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known and appreciated that people enjoy incorporating design elements into their day-to-day environment, including such design elements that may be incorporated into functional articles of furniture.

It is further appreciated that one may personalize one's day-to-day environment by displaying meaningful messages, that may, for example, communicate an idea, suggest a common term, or convey information.

There exists furniture that incorporates decorative elements that may display a message. For example, DE Patent Number 202005005637U, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses an article of seating furniture that has a decorative plinth under the seat with apertures that can be in the form of letters. However, such an element decorative in nature and does not provide a structural component of said article of furniture.

There also exists furniture that incorporates textual characters. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,720, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses a kit comprising a series of blocks with letters of the alphabet on the faces thereof that can form a chair. However, the letters themselves are not incorporated into such an article of furniture and furthermore, such an article of furniture does not combine textual symbols to form a meaningful message, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,204, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses a chair suitable for a child that includes a back that may be contoured to define a symbol such as a letter of the alphabet or a digit. However, such an article of furniture does not combine textual symbols to form a meaningful message.

However, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to disclose an article of furniture that incorporates textual symbols that have been adapted to function as structural components of said article of furniture and that also form a meaningful message, in accordance with the principle of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises an article of furniture with functional textual symbols. Such an article of furniture is formed by incorporating at least two functional textual characters that have been adapted to function as structural components of said article of furniture. Furthermore, these at least two characters may also form a meaningful message.

Accordingly, an article of furniture of the present invention is provided, wherein said article of furniture functionally integrates the shapes of at least two characters, and an upper portion of at least one character is adapted to accommodate at least one part of a human body, and a lower portion of at least one character is adapted to engage a supporting surface on which said article of furniture is located.

Additionally, an article of furniture may convey a meaningful message.

Additionally, an article of furniture may be combined with at least one more article of furniture to create a meaningful message.

Additionally, at least one feature of at least one character may be distorted. According to embodiments, the distortion is at least one of shape, outline, profile, font, and size. Furthermore, at least one distortion may create an ergonomic article of furniture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter regarded as the invention will become more clearly understood in light of the ensuing description of embodiments herein, given by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the present invention only, with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a person using an article of furniture according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein said article of furniture is configured as a side chair;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an article of furniture according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein said article of furniture is configured as a sofa;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a person using the article of furniture of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of two articles of furniture according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, wherein said articles of furniture are configured as an easy chair accompanied by a footstool; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a person using the articles of furniture of FIG. 4.

The figures together with the description make apparent to those skilled in the art how the invention may be embodied in practice.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is an article of furniture that is formed using at least two characters, as will be defined in greater detail below, that are each adapted to provide at least one structural component of said article of furniture. Said at least two characters may also form a meaningful message, as will be defined in greater detail below.

Examples of articles of furniture according to embodiments of the present invention include, inter alia, a side chair 100 shown in FIG. 1, a sofa 200 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and an easy chair 300 and footstool 320 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It should be understood that other articles of furniture may also be envisioned without departing from the scope of the invention.

It is to be understood that an embodiment is an example or implementation of the inventions. The various appearances of “one embodiment,” “an embodiment” or “some embodiments” do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiments.

Although various features of the invention may be described in the context of a single embodiment, the features may also be provided separately or in any suitable combination. Conversely, although the invention may be described herein in the context of separate embodiments for clarity, the invention may also be implemented in a single embodiment.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “some embodiments” or “other embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiment, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the inventions.

It is understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is not to be construed as limiting and is for descriptive purpose only.

The principles and uses of the teachings of the present invention may be better understood with reference to the accompanying description, figures and examples.

It is to be understood that the details set forth herein should not be construed as limiting any applications of the invention.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out or practiced in various ways and that the invention can be implemented in embodiments other than the ones outlined in the description below.

It is to be understood that the terms “including”, “comprising”, “consisting” and grammatical variants thereof do not preclude the addition of one or more components, features, steps, integers or groups thereof and that the terms are not to be construed as specifying components, features, steps or integers.

The phrase “consisting essentially of”, and grammatical variants thereof, when used herein, is not to be construed as excluding additional components, steps, features, integers or groups thereof but rather that the additional features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed composition, device or method.

If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.

It is to be understood that where the claims or specification refer to “a” or “an” element, such reference is not to be construed as there being only one of that element.

It is to be understood that where the specification states that a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, “can” or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included.

Where applicable, although state diagrams, flow diagrams or both may be used to describe embodiments, the invention is not limited to those diagrams or to the corresponding descriptions. For example, flow need not move through each illustrated box or state, or in exactly the same order as illustrated and described.

The term “method” refers to manners, means, techniques and procedures for accomplishing a given task including, but is not limited to those manners, means, techniques and procedures either known to, or readily developed from known manners, means, techniques and procedures by practitioners of the art to which the invention belongs.

The descriptions, examples, methods and materials presented in the claims and the specification are not to be construed as limiting but rather as illustrative only.

Meanings of technical and scientific terms used herein are to be commonly understood as by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs, unless otherwise defined.

The present invention can be implemented in the testing or practice with methods and materials equivalent or similar to those described herein.

The terms “bottom”, “below”, “top” and “above” as used herein do not necessarily indicate that a “bottom” component is below a “top” component, or that a component that is “below” is indeed “below” another component or that a component that is “above” is indeed “above” another component. As such, directions, components or both may be flipped, rotated, moved in space, placed in a diagonal orientation or position, placed horizontally or vertically, or similarly modified. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the terms “bottom”, “below”, “top” and “above” may be used herein for exemplary purposes only, to illustrate the relative positioning or placement of certain components, to indicate a first and a second component or to do both.

Any publications, including patents, patent applications and articles, referenced or mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in the description of some embodiments of the invention shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.

According to embodiments of the present invention, an article of furniture comprises at least two textual characters that have each been designed and adapted to provide a functional portion, segment, or element of said article of furniture.

According to embodiments, the upper portion of at least one character is adapted to accommodate at least one pail of a human body. For example, a substantially horizontal portion of second character 102 may provide, for example, a seating area.

Furthermore, according to embodiments, the lower portion of at least one character is adapted to engage a supporting surface on which said article of furniture is located. For example, a substantially vertical portion of second character 302 may provide, for example, legs and a seat supporting area.

It should be understood that the characters comprising an article of furniture according to the present invention may furthermore be adapted to provide other segments and elements of an article of furniture without departing from the scope of the invention.

For purposes of more clearly understanding the presenting invention, a character herein refers to any textual symbol, including, inter alia, letters of a natural alphabet, numerals, punctuation marks, and graphic symbols.

Examples of a character according to embodiments of the present invention include chair characters 101 and 102 shown in FIG. 1, sofa characters 201, 202, 203, and 204 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and characters 301, 302, and 303 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

According to some embodiments, the characters comprising an article of furniture according to the present invention may convey a meaningful message.

For purposes of more clearly understanding the presenting invention, a meaningful message herein refers to the arrangement of a set of at least two characters that, when combined, form a word or communicate an idea or suggest a common term or convey information.

Examples of meaningful messages according to embodiments of the present invention include a set of characters 101 and 102 comprising the letters “m” and “r” that may be stacked to provide a side chair 100, as shown in FIG. 1. According to another example, a set of characters 201, 202, 203, and 204 comprising the letters “D” “C”, and “O” may be selectively arranged to provide a sofa 200 in the form of the word “GOOD”, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. According to a third example, a set of characters 301, 303, and 303 comprising the letters “S”, “H”, and “A” may be incorporated into an easy chair 300. When easy chair 300 is placed next to a footstool 320 comprised of a set of characters “R”, “O”, and “N”, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the two articles of furniture together spell out the word “Sharon”.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, at least one feature of at least one character may be distorted in order to, for example, provide a comfortable and ergonomic article of furniture.

Such distortions may include, for example, deforming, exaggerating or otherwise altering, inter alia, the shape, outline, profile, font, or size of at least one character. It should be understood that other features may also be distorted, deformed, exaggerated or otherwise altered without departing from the scope of the invention.

An example of such a distortion is seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, wherein second character 302 of easy chair 300 has been splayed in order to provide an ergonomic seat area. Another example is seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein the upper surfaces of sofa characters 202 and 203 have been flattened in order to provide sofa 200 with a large, comfortable seating area.

In order to more fully disclose the present invention, the following describes an article of furniture with functional textual symbols, according some embodiments of to the present invention.

For example, according to some embodiments, an article of furniture may comprise a first chair character 101 and a second chair character 102, as seen in FIG. 1. According to such an embodiment, said chair characters 101 and 102 may be joined to form an article of furniture such as, for example, a side chair 100. As seen in the embodiment of the present invention described in FIG. 1, the lower portion of a chair character 101, in the shape of, for example, the lowercase letter “M”, may be adapted to engage a supporting surface on which side chair 100 is located and an upper portion of a chair character 102, in the shape of, for example, the lowercase letter “R”, may be adapted to accommodate and support at least one part of a human body. According to embodiments such as is described in FIG. 1, an upright portion of chair character 102 may be adapted, for example, to also provide a back support for a user 500. Additionally, according to embodiments of the present invention, chair characters 101 and 102 together convey a meaningful message of, for example, “Mr.”, the familiar abbreviation of the word “Mister”.

It should be understood that other characters may also be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that said characters may be arranged in different manners and that said characters may provide additional functionalities without departing from the scope of the invention.

It should be further understood that the resulting article of furniture is not limited to the embodiment described above and the resulting meaningful message is not limited to the message described above.

In another example, an article of furniture may comprise more than two characters. One such embodiment may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein a first sofa character 201, in the shape of, for example, the letter “G”, two intermediary sofa characters 202 and 203, both in the shape of, for example, the letter “O”, and a last sofa character 204, in the shape of, for example, the letter “D”, may be joined to form an article of furniture such as, for example, a sofa 200. According to such embodiments, the lower portions of sofa characters 201, 202, 203, and 204 may be adapted to engage a supporting surface on which sofa 200 is located. Additionally, the uppermost surfaces of sofa characters 202 and 203 may be adapted to accommodate and support at least one part of a human body, providing, for example, a seating area. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, sofa characters 201 and 204 may be further adapted to provide, for example, armrests. In addition to providing a functional article of furniture, sofa characters 201, 202, 203, and 204 combine to convey a meaningful message of, for example, the word “GOOD”.

It should be understood that other characters may also be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that said characters may be arranged in different manners and that said characters may provide additional functionalities without departing from the scope of the invention.

It should be further understood that the resulting article of furniture is not limited to the embodiment described above and the resulting meaningful message is not limited to the message described above.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, at least two articles of furniture may be placed in close proximity to one another to create a meaningful message, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, which show yet another embodiment of an article of furniture according to the present invention. According to such embodiments, two or more characters may be joined to form an article of furniture such as, for example, an easy chair 300. An easy chair 300 according to such an embodiment may be constructed from, for example, a first character 301, in the shape of, for example, the letter “S”, a second character 302, in the shape of, for example, the letter “H”, and third character 303, in the shape of, for example, the letter “A”. As described previously, the lower portion of first character 301, second character 302, and third character 303 may be adapted to engage a supporting surface on which easy chair 300 is located. The uppermost surfaces of second character 302 and third 303 may moreover be adapted to accommodate and support at least one part of a human body. Additionally, according to embodiments such as is described in FIGS. 4 and 5, a portion of a first character 301 may also provide, for example, a backrest for easy chair 300. When used together with another article of furniture such as, for example, a footstool 320 that is comprised of, for example, three characters, a meaningful message of, for example, the name “Sharon” may be conveyed.

It should be understood that other characters may also be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that said characters may be arranged in different manners and that said characters may provide additional functionalities without departing from the scope of the invention.

It should be further understood that the resulting article of furniture is not limited to the embodiment described above and the resulting meaningful message is not limited to the message described above.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of some of the embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other possible variations, modifications, and applications that are also within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be limited by what has thus far been described, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Therefore, it is to be understood that alternatives, modifications, and variations of the present invention are to be construed as being within the scope and spirit of the appended claims. 

1. An article of furniture, wherein said article of furniture functionally integrates the shapes of at least two characters, and an upper portion of at least one character is adapted to accommodate at Least one part of a human body, and a lower portion of at least one character is adapted to engage a supporting surface on which said article of furniture is located.
 2. The article of furniture of claim 1, wherein said article of furniture conveys a meaningful message.
 3. The article of furniture of claim 1, wherein said article of furniture is combined with at least one more article of furniture to create a meaningful message.
 4. The article of furniture of claim 1, wherein at least one feature of at least one character is distorted.
 5. The article of furniture of claim 4, wherein the distortion is at least one of: shape, outline, profile, font, and size.
 6. The article of furniture of claim 4, wherein the at least one distortion creates an ergonomic article of furniture. 